documentation
Americannoun
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the use of documentary evidence.
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a furnishing with documents, as to substantiate a claim or the data in a book or article.
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Computers. manuals, listings, diagrams, and other hard- or soft-copy written and graphic materials that describe the use, operation, maintenance, or design of software or hardware.
The documentation for the driver program is displayed on the screen.
noun
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the act of supplying with or using documents or references
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the documents or references supplied
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the furnishing and use of documentary evidence, as in a court of law
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computing the written comments, graphical illustrations, flowcharts, manuals, etc, supplied with a program or software system
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of documentation
Explanation
Your driver's license is documentation of your age, address, and that you have passed the tests required to drive a car. Documentation is certifiable proof, or a set of official documents. Your new computer probably came with a packet of documentation that shows you how to use it and explains what to do when it breaks. In this sense, documentation means the official documents of your computer. If you are the person preparing a packet of information about how to use a computer program to keep attendance at school, you are preparing the documentation of that process.
Vocabulary lists containing documentation
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Reference
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Writing - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last Friday, he tried to return for a gig in New York, but was "detained" at the border "despite having the proper visa documentation," Holiday said.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
The displays, rich in photographic documentation, present decades of ornate equipment, along with vintage sewer-worker uniforms and the stories of a cast of what could be called hygiene innovators.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
But no one understands the importance of documentation — of getting it all down — better than her.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
There’s also documentation that shows Musk himself, at various points, entertained for-profit structures.
From Slate • Apr. 30, 2026
My mother and brothers had no passports or documentation, though, so the army told my father he would have to travel alone with me.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
